Kindred Spirits
by Viperdae
Summary: Gaz just wants to play some games, but thanks to her annoying brother and his enemy/boyfriend, she gets roped into a rescue mission to save them. Fortunately or unfortunately, she's not doing this alone. Written for ladycerebellum13.


Buttons clicked sharply and small bursts of noise emitted from the handheld device as Gaz expertly cut through another swath of vampire piggies. The room was mostly dark save for the game's screen and the glowing eyes of her robotic plush toys that lined the shelves behind her. She was sitting cross-legged on her bed, completely engrossed in the game.

A new light and sound abruptly blared to life as her phone burst into a shrill song, shattering her concentration.

Gaz grit her teeth together and hastily hit the pause button. She sat there for several seconds, debating whether or not to answer it. She was tempted to ignore it and go back to playing the game, but every shrill note emanating from her phone went straight into her skull and she found herself getting more and more annoyed with whatever idiot had decided to interrupt her gaming time.

Finally she crawled off her bed and snatched up the cellphone, yanking out the charging cord and bringing it up to her ear. She caught the caller's name in the brief second as she lifted the phone up.

Dib Membrane.

Of course it would be him. It's always him who disrupts her when she's gaming.

"What," she said lowly, already plotting a suitable revenge for her brother. She'd told him not to interrupt her, she'd told him the newest vampire piggy hunter game was being released along with the latest Game Slave model and she wasn't going to tolerate any distraction from him. But like always, he was probably too busy thinking about Zim to pay any attention to what she had to say.

"Gaz!" His voice was high, panicked. Zim could be heard yelling incomprehensibly in the background. "I need your help! I found out Zim was going to another planet to buy space weapons so I of course had to stop him and I hid on his ship and-"

Gaz lowered the phone but Dib's voice could still be heard quite audibly as he recounted in detail various things that she absolutely did not care about. Her game slave laid on the bed, screen bright, practically calling to her.

"Dib!" She cut him off abruptly. "You have five seconds before I hang up so get to the point."

"Zim and I were kidnapped by aliens and we need you to break us out!"

Gaz could just make out the Irken screeching in the background that he doesn't need some filthy human's help.

"I'm busy," Gaz said simply.

"Gaz! I'm being held captive by a hostile alien race! Who knows what they'll do to me?" He paused for a moment and sighed. "I'll let you have my turn to pick this year's restaurant for family dinner night."

She paused.

Family dinner nights were one of the few non-gaming things she really looked forward to, at least when she got to pick their destination.

"Give me your turns for the rest of your life and we have a deal."

Dib made a short whining sound before answering. "Okay, fine! Just get here quick, Gaz! I'll text you our coordinates. You can use Tak's ship, you just have to replace the-"

"I'll figure it out," she cut him off and ended the call.

She glanced at the phone's clock display before setting it down. 6:38 AM. She looked down at her clothes. She was still wearing what she put on yesterday morning, having spent the entire day and night fixated on her game. Nothing fancy, just a pair of black leggings and an oversized t-shirt she'd won at last year's national gaming con. She shrugged and grabbed a hoodie, tugging it on and running her hands through her hair. Her game slave and phone went in the front pocket, she pulled on her boots and she was ready.

The light upstairs was harsh, the rising sun piercing through the main floor windows and she squinted at the brightness. She stopped by the kitchen and grabbed a slice of pizza, stuffing half of it into her mouth as she made her way up to Dib's room, rolling her eyes at the walls covered with blurry shots of supposed paranormal discoveries and Zim. She grabbed a small device on his desk and before turning to go downstairs and into the garage, still munching on the pizza slice.

She expected to find the garage mostly empty, save for the old Irken ship, some tools and a couple garbage bags.

She definitely did not expect to see the chubby back end of a green-skinned creature sticking out a hatch of the ship as he tinkered with the mechanics.

"What do you think you're doing?" She said, eyes narrowed.

He jumped, startled, smacking his head against the top of the hatch before hastily turning around to face her.

Gaz surveyed him, taking in the light green skin, the coiffed blond wig and the bright blue contacts in his eyes. She recognized this one, he showed up sometimes to skool with Zim, and Dib mentioned him sometimes in his rants. What was his name? Skudge?

The Irken took a moment to access her as well. She was only a little taller than him, yet she radiated authority and power. His eyes scanned over her curvy frame, her slightly mussed hair, and the half-eaten slice of pizza in her left hand.

He wasn't sure if it was because of the harsh bump to his head, but he was pretty certain - she was beautiful.

Beautiful but dangerous.

"Oh! H-hello fellow human! Lovely earth weather today, huh?" He twisted his hands together, hoping she would buy it.

"Get out of my garage, Skudge," she replied flatly. "Use your own ship."

"It's- it's Skoodge actually. And I can't use my ship... Zim's been cannibalizing it for his own ship repairs, it's in a lot of pieces at the moment."

"I don't care," she grumbled. "I'm saving them anyway, so you can go home."

"Yeah, but Zim would kill me if I let a human rescue him," he replied with a shrug.

"Then he can stay there. Either way, you're not taking this ship."

"What if I fixed your ship in payment? It's not flyable as is, I can make a- oh," Skoodge stopped as the human held up the device she'd taken from Dib's room. Clearly he'd have to try another tactic. "I can navigate! And I know a little bit about the aliens keeping Zim and your sibling-unit prisoner. I know some medical care, not for humans though..."

Gaz stared at him, expressionless, for a moment. She brushed by him and pushed the device into place, hearing a satisfying 'click' as it locked in. Skoodge felt like he could barely breathe with her so near.

She slid into the ship gracefully, leaning against the far side, leaving half the seat empty.

"Get in," she ordered. Gaz highly doubted she needed the Irken, especially considering what she'd seen so far of the species' competency, but if he could navigate then she could get some more precious time on her Game Slave.

Skoodge beamed, pleased he would no longer get eviscerated by Zim. He carefully slid in beside the human, very aware of how close they were. It was not a large ship even for one person, it was quite a squeeze for two. His thigh was pressed against hers and he felt a small thrill at being so close to the lovely yet scary young woman.

He took a deep breath to steady himself, and immediately regretted it as the sweet smell of the human beside him tingled his antenna.

Gaz made herself comfortable in the seat, leaning back as far as she could and propping her legs on the dash. She watched out of the corner of her eye as Skoodge started up the ship, noting with a small amount of approval how smoothly he handled it.

They didn't talk as the ship pulled away from Earth. Somewhere, as the speck of planet Earth faded into the distance, the Game Slave buzzed and the screen went black.

She swore under her breath, tucking the device into her pocket.

"What's wrong, human?" Skoodge asked nervously.

"It's Gaz," she growled. She peered at him, debating whether or not to answer him. He had taken off his disguise, his antenna were wriggling a little and his bright magenta eyes were sparkling with curiosity. "My handheld died. It must be something to do with the electric field out here."

"That's too bad," He offered sympathetically. "Hey, is that the new Game Slave IX?"

"Yeah... you know about these?"

"Yeah!" He grinned at her. "I'm saving up for one! Zim doesn't give me much, but I'm thinking about getting a human job."

"You don't mind being around 'filthy humans'?"

"Oh," He chuckled uncomfortably. "I don't mind humans as much as Zim does, I think some are alright actually."

"But you're helping him take over Earth."

"Zim's my friend, he's all I have, so I try to help him if I can. Especially if he's trouble. You know what it's like, right? You're looking after your sibling-unit."

Gaz grumbled. "I'm only doing this because I'm getting something out of it."

Skoodge smiled weakly, unsure what to say.

An alarm blared to life, startling the pair.

"Hostiles detected," declared the ship calmly.

The Irken scrambled to grab the controls. Gaz twisted around in the seat to catch a glimpse of the enemy.

She saw a flash of light spark from the other ship and she reached over to push the controls, narrowly missing the shot.

"Good dodge!" Skoodge gasped out, taking over and started an evasive dive.

"Who are these guys?"

"Crystal Flogar, by the looks of it. Their species is allied with the ones keeping Zim and your sibling-unit prisoner. Their ships aren't top notch but they've got strong bodies. They're pretty nasty because-"

The ship rocked as a blast connected with them, spreading a bright glow across the surface and temporarily blinding them.

Skoodge quickly checked on the human when he could see again. She blinked a couple times and her expression changed. A fierce look came over her face and she hastily moved to get closer to the controls, setting herself in the Irken's lap.

Skoodge squeaked in surprise, his cheeks flushing blue. Gaz ignored him, her eyes blazing with fury as she pulled the ship around and shot the enemy several times.

The other ship was sparking at damaged points but still holding together. It shot back with a blast that sent them spinning.

Skoodge quickly wrapped his arms around the human to stop her from tumbling around inside the ship.

Undeterred, Gaz responded back with another shot, this one shattering the enemy ship.

"Got them!" Gaz declared, and Skoodge could see her grinning in the windshield's reflection. It was pretty hot.

He hated to dim the mood, but it was necessary.

"Not quite," He pointed to two moving shapes in the floating pile of wreckage. "That's why they're a nasty fight. Crystal Flogar have nearly indestructible bodies."

The crystal creatures moved fast, gracefully through space, their bodies shining with reflected light from their ship's burning wreckage.

Skoodge and Gaz were still a little disoriented from the previous blast, and their damaged ship was slow to respond to input, leaving the crystal creatures able to cross the distance and latch onto the Runner.

One landed directly on the curved windshield. It locked eyes with Gaz and screeched - a long, piercing note that penetrated through the glass and made the human and Irken shudder.

The creature grinned and the two of them started smashing their fists into the ship.

CRASH. CRASH.

A spider web of cracks blossomed along the glass as the hostile aliens battered at it.

CRASH. CRASH.

"Nearly indestructible?" Gaz was holding onto the steering, jerking the ship around in an attempt to dislodge the unwelcome guests. "So what does kill them?"

"Well, they can be brittle if you smash them in the right spots."

"What else?"

Skoodge thought deeply. His invader training had kicked in minutes ago, and he was quite calm despite the impending doom breaking down the glass.

CRASH. CRASH.

"High enough heat could possibly melt them, although it's never been observed."

By now the entire windshield was covered in a web of damage, small flecks of glass raining down on the occupants.

"Get ready to observe it," said Gaz through gritted teeth, as she maneuvered the engine exhausts to point back towards the ship, ignoring the automated warnings that shrilled at the action.

The light was blinding as Gaz turned the engines to full power, sending a blast of scorching energy over the ship's front, bathing the Crystal Flogar in heat.

The creatures continued smashing for a few seconds until they realized bits of them were melting off. With one last screech, they released their grasp on the ship and were quickly left behind.

Gaz and Skoodge were panting and sweating. The air in the ship was burning hot, the damaged glass glowing red. Visibility was poor, the cracked glass foggy where it was layered with crystal that slowly cooled and hardened in place.

"You can let go of me now," said Gaz.

"Oh! Sorry!" Skoodge removed his arms from around her waist and she moved back to sitting beside him.

Skoodge took a deep breath, feeling even warmer than before.

"That was pretty impressive. Something like that would get you recommended for an Invader position if you were an Irken."

"Good things I'm not an Irken then," Gaz leaned back in her seat, scowling a little, "I've got better things to do."

"Right... like games?"

Gaz made an affirmative sound, now examining the device in her hands, trying to get it to power up again.

Skoodge smiled, "I can see why such things are banned on Irk, but I'm glad I get to experience them on Earth."

"Are you any good?" Gaz gave up on her attempt to restart the device, now bored.

"Well, I think I'm not bad? I finished the last VPG game in 12 hours."

Gaz looked at him, surprised. "That's actually pretty good. I did it in 10, but most people can't make it under 15."

"10? What are your secrets, human?" Skoodge asked her and Gaz laughed.

The Irken watched her laugh and felt oddly lighthearted, mesmerized by the previously so serious face transformed with a beautiful smile and a lovely laugh.

When Gaz realized what she was doing, she quickly closed her mouth and schooled her expression. This wasn't like her at all, she didn't make conversation and laugh with anyone nowadays, let alone some alien who was helping to take over the Earth.

But something about the Irken was different from other people. He actually seemed pretty smart and competent, and she found herself tempted to reply honestly when he asked her a question and she saw the genuine interest in his sparkling ruby eyes as he waited for her response.

Skoodge noticed the abruptly change in her mood, disappointed at the loss of her laughter.

"Umm, I always had trouble with the graveyard boss, got any tips for him?"

Gaz allowed herself a small smile, "The trick with him is..."

They spent the time travelling with talk about games, and Skoodge asked a bit about her life and she answered most of them and asked a few of her own questions. They were so deep in conversation that Skoodge only realized they'd arrived at their destination when he looked up and saw the huge planet in their view.

"We probably should have come up with a plan," he said, as dark ships joined them in the atmosphere, circling them.

"You'll have to come up with one now." Her serious amber eyes met his magenta and Skoodge felt a flutter in his squeedlyspooch. She actually trusted him to come up with a plan? Usually Irkens and other aliens took one look at his short, chubby self and decided he was stupid and useless. He always proved them wrong, but it was surreal to not have to.

"Okay," Skoodge grinned at her. "I've got an idea. Follow along."

A screen popped up and crackled for a moment before displaying a view of a stern-looking creature with speckled grey skin and a long snout.

"Irken," it growled in a deep voice, filled with loathing.

"Thraddash," Skoodge responded cheerfully.

"You have made a mistake coming here. You think you can rescue your allies? You'll die instead."

"Well you see, I've heard about how powerful and fearsome you are in battle, and," Skoodge took a deep breath, willing his spooch to stop beating so hard. Gaz was watching him, her intense amber eyes on his. "I want to challenge you. One on one. You'll release those prisoners if I win."

The large creature paused for a moment, then his fearsome face turned into a twisted grin.

"A battle, you say? I like the sound of that. But you look weak… I'd crush you too easily, and that would be boring." The creature's glowing green eyes fixed onto Gaz. "We'll do one on two, and maybe together you'll survive against me, the mighty Korgk, for more than a minute and make it fun."

"Deal," said Gaz, before Skoodge could respond.

"Good. Follow me to the landing site."

The transmission ended, leaving silence in the cockpit.

"Gaz human, the Thraddash are very dangerous-"

"I can handle it Skoodge," there was an edge to her voice, annoyed at being doubted.

The Irken looked at her, her eyes burning with determination, her jaw set tightly, and an aura of danger surrounding her. He supposed if he had to take any human with him into a deadly battle, she'd be the one to pick.

He nodded at her. "Okay, just be careful."

The tension in her shoulders eased a little. "You too," she said, her gaze now focusing on the planet slowly becoming closer.

Landing was rough, their systems thoroughly damaged from the run-in with the Crystal creatures. They came in fast, scraping the ship roughly against the landing pad, small bits of debris tumbling off until they finally stopped. Thraddash ships landed around them, creatures stepping out to watch them menacingly. Zim's empty voot was parked a small distance away.

When they stepped out, slightly dizzy, Korgk was there to greet them.

"I hope you fight better than you pilot," He laughed.

"I hope you fight better than you smell," responded Gaz.

The alien growled deeply, and Skoodge quickly cut in.

"Let's get to it. How are we fighting and what are the rules?"

Korgk appeared to ponder for a moment before replying, "We'll be armed, one weapon each. You will try to fight me in our Thraddash training grounds. The winner must kill the enemy to leave, you will be destroyed if you try to leave the fight without killing me."

"And the prisoners you took earlier will be freed if we win." Replied Skoodge.

The Thraddash laughed, "Yes, IF you win. The Thraddash honour our deals if you can prove your strength to us. You agree to the terms, then?"

"We agree." Gaz grumbled.

The surrounding Thraddash broke out into loud chatter and laughter, excited at the prospect of watching a decent fight.

They were lead through a small gate of a large enclosed area and given Thraddash weapons after being informed they will only power-up when the battle begins. Old, wretched buildings filled the interior, walls crumbling at places, scorch marks decorating every surface.

"I will start on the other end," Korgk said. "We start when the horn is blown."

With that, he was gone, leaving the foreign aliens alone.

Skoodge looked at the human, and was surprised to see a small smirk on her face.

"I like this plan," she said, raising her laser gun a little, a dangerous glint in her eyes.

"Good," Skoodge replied, feeling a small amount of relief. That moment was short-lived however, as a horn blasted through the air and the weapons in their hands glowed brightly.

It had begun.

Skoodge kicked open the door to the building ahead of them and scanned the scene, his gun raised high and ready. Years of invader training had kicked in, as he calmly but cautiously stepped into the building.

The interior was nothing more than broken furniture, various debris and dark bloodstains.

Gaz followed on his heels, her amber eyes alert for any sign of danger, gun readied.

She peeked out of a broken window, eyeing their battlefield. It was full of decrepit old buildings, disturbed earth, as though bombs had exploded in the vicinity, and an eerie silence hung in the air. Their breathing felt unnaturally loud.

"We have to move," she said softly. "He knows where we started, we have to find him before he finds us."

"Yeah, and he's got the advantage of knowing the field already. Even at two against one, he has better odds of winning."

Gaz scoffed and shot him a wicked grin that sent an excited shiver down his spine. "I wouldn't be so sure of that."

She moved fluidly, like a shadow across the room, quickly making her way up the damaged staircase and onto the upper level. Skoodge followed, albeit a little less gracefully.

"He's big and bulky," she explained, as she scaled the wall and pulled herself through a hole in the ceiling and onto the roof. "He'll be approaching from below, he doesn't have the agility to take the high route."

"Good observation," Skoodge puffed, pulling himself onto the roof with more difficulty. Gaz grabbed his arm and helped him the rest of the way up.

She shrugged, but looked pleased. "Boss monsters always have a weakness," she explained coolly.

Skoodge chuckled, "They're usually not quite so deadly though."

"I always make it through the game without dying," Gaz leaped to the next building, landing in a crouch, then turned to wait for the Irken.

He followed behind her, stopping after every jump to scan the area, his gun held high as he caught his breath. So far the Thraddash was nowhere to be seen.

They stopped talking, preferring to gesture sharply to the other as they jumped and climbed, moving across the desolate area, all senses on high alert.

By the time they reached the far end, distant high fences marking the perimeter, their hearts were beating hard.

They shared a look, and they didn't need to speak to communicate what they were thinking. Both were concerned about not seeing the other alien by now.

The two doubled back across the roofs. Gaz was about to make another jump when Skoodge grabbed her hand.

Her eyes quickly met his, not angry, but curious. She'd normally jerk her hand anyway if anyone else had tried that, but here, it felt natural, they were partners, and she felt a bond of trust had grown between them.

He made a quick gesture with his free hand, and she squinted into the distance. After a moment, she saw it. A slow movement of speckled grey against the rough stone buildings.

The two shared a wicked grin, and both raised their guns.

"Three," whispered Gaz.

"Two," said Skoodge just as softly.

"One," they said together, guns firing.

A sharp crackle sounded as the weapons fired, sending a blast of energy, flying true to their target.

Korgk leapt back, but not fast enough to avoid the twin blasts. He grit his teeth together against the pain, but was pleased. They'd given away their location.

The human and Irken realized this too, and quickly leapt across several buildings to put some distance between them and confuse the enemy. But the Thraddash knew the area all too well...

The large grey creature made his way between the buildings, stepping carefully to keep his footfalls quiet. He scaled a mostly-intact set of stairs, and bit back a chuckle as he saw his prey in sight on the roof of the adjacent structure. He lifted his gun in one smooth motion and fired a shot.

Skoodge reacted without thinking. It wasn't very Irken-like to protect another when you were in danger, but he was never typical for an Irken.

Gaz hit the ground roughly, the heavier Irken knocking the wind out of her.

"What are you-?" She began in a hiss, and stopped dead at the sight of pink blood seeping from his side. Her eyes went wide, her heart in her throat.

"It-it's fine," Skoodge said weakly, offering a smile through the pain, not liking the frightened look on her face.

"It's not."

She gestured to for him to stay down and stay put. The angle between the buildings offered safety, the Thraddash couldn't hit them if they stayed low.

Gaz shifted the gun in her hands, her expression fierce, and dropped down from the roof to the lower level.

"Human?" Skoodge whispered loudly as she disappeared from his sight. "Gaz!" He hissed, louder. But she was already gone.

Gaz crouched behind rubble, slowly advancing towards the alien's last location. She felt rage building up under her calm exterior, her breathing slightly ragged, her eyes dark.

She found him. His back was to her, his shoulders were hunched, his right arm scorched and hanging at his side, his left arm gripping his gun tightly.

She started crossing the distance between them, readying the shot.

The sound of a rock rolling from its spot was startlingly loud, and Gaz realized abruptly that it was her who'd dislodged it.

It felt like everything was in slow-motion as the massive alien turned, his glowing green eyes focused on her in an instant. His gun moving in a smooth motion to face her, his large finger beginning to squeeze down on the trigger.

Gaz stiffened as the shot rang out through the air, the sound almost drowned out by her pounding heart.

She didn't breathe, frozen on the spot, waiting for the pain.

Then Korgk slumped over, the light in his eyes extinguished.

"Are you okay?" Skoodge pressed a hand tightly to his bleeding side, face contorted in pain, looking down at her from the roof above. His gun was still smoking slightly from the shot.

She closed her eyes for a second and exhaled deeply. "I... I don't usually fail the boss fight," she said, turning away from him. She felt embarrassed, she'd lost her cool and nearly blew it.

"You did great, Gaz," Skoodge assured. "I wouldn't have gotten him by surprise if you hadn't distracted him, and it needed to end quickly."

She didn't respond. Skoodge made his way down from the roof and to her side. He took her hand and smiled softly at her when she looked at him.

"You were amazing, Gaz," he squeezed her hand, a purple flush spreading across his features.

A tinge of pink was on her cheeks as she squeezed back. "Come on, you need first aid."

The Thraddash waiting outside the training areas did not hide their surprise when the two exited, but they honoured the agreement. They provided a few healing supplies, and when Skoodge was suitably wrapped up tightly with bandages, they were lead to a large towering building with no windows.

A Thraddash in a dark uniform handed Gaz a keycard and gestured down the hallway to the far door. It opened smoothly with a tap of the card, without a sound, revealing Earth's small Invader and Earth's sworn protector... cuddled together as they snoozed, leaning against the wall.

Gaz and Skoodge exchanged a glance, the Irken looking surprised and the human mirrored the expression for a moment before a mischievous grin tugged at her lips.

"This will make amazing blackmail," she muttered, pulling out her phone and snapping several photos.

She kicked the wall when she was done, the sound crashing through the quiet and startling the sleeping individuals.

Zim and Dib leapt apart immediately and shot to their feet.

"Gaz!" Dib called out. "You made it!"

"Skoodge!" Barked Zim, "What took you so long?"

"Shut up, both of you. I'm sick of this planet, we're leaving." Gaz turned on her heel and marched out. The feeling was pretty mutual, and others followed quickly after.

Zim complained loudly during their walk back to the ships, but was mostly ignored. Dib let out a horrified noise when his ship came into view. Sometime in the interim, the damaged windshield had given out and thick pieces of glass coated the interior. Pieces of the ship littered the landing area, it was clear the Runner wouldn't take off again anytime soon.

"Gaz! What happened to my ship?" She sent him a glare and Skoodge laughed.

"It's a long story, let's leave that for later," he said.

"Figures, pathetic humans cannot be trusted with Irken technology!" Zim sneered. "We'll have to use my voot."

The four came to a stop in front of Zim's voot. It was no larger than Tak's Runner, built for one small Irken. Not two humans and two Irkens.

Zim huffed, and grabbed Dib's t-shirt. "Get into the storage compartment, Dib-filth!"

"No way! I couldn't breathe in there! There's a reason I didn't stay in there the whole journey over!"

"It's Zim's ship, and Zim says you will sit in the storage compartment!"

"I should stick you in there, Zim! At least you'd be small enough to fit!"

"How DARE you?!" Zim screeched. The two started scuffling, as Zim trying to push the human into the cramped space and Dib pushing back.

"God, they're like children," Gaz rolled her eyes.

"Heh, yeah. They have a lot in common, don't they?" Said Skoodge.

"We do not!" Zim and Dib protested at the same time, stopping their struggle briefly.

Eventually the four managed to cram themselves into the ship, with no one folded into the storage compartment. It was a terrible squeeze, Skoodge and Dib sitting side by side, Gaz and Zim on their respective laps.

Zim and Dib piloted together, arguing the entire time, the Irken occasionally swatting the other's hands as they reached out from his side to touch a button.

Gaz leaned back, careful not to put any pressure on Skoodge's injured side, and closed her eyes, trying to drown out the idiots next to her.

Skoodge was still in quite a bit of pain, but couldn't stop smiling as he gently rested his arms around the human's waist. He wondered what she'd say if he asked her to come along flying with him again, just the two of them, for fun.

Finally they arrived at Earth, climbing out stiffly and stretching out cramped muscles.

Gaz turned to the group when they were all standing, and in a tone that left no room for argument said, "Dib. I told you not to bug me, and you ended up making me cross the universe to save your ass. I don't want to see your face until I finish my game. Stay with Zim until I tell you I'm done."

"What? Gaz!" Dib started to complain and Zim started screeching something, but Gaz's eyes flashed dangerously.

"You're going to stay here." She growled, and the room's lights seemed to darken, her eyes glowing fiercely. Zim took a step back and Dib's shoulders slumped and he sighed.

"And Skoodge, you're coming with me. You can use my old Game Slave."

"Huh?" His eyes widened, she still had an expression that left no room for disagreement, not that he disagreed.

She took his hand and they left, walking back to the Membrane household.

Gaz glanced at him as they walked, feeling a warmth spreading in her chest as she took in his happy expression. He'd put his silly disguise back on, but it didn't bother her as much now. He looked ridiculous still, but it was kind of charming in its own way.

Her thoughts were interrupted when her stomach growled. It was night now, they'd been gone at least a day and all she'd had was a slice of pizza in the morning.

"Yeah, I'm hungry too," said Skoodge. "Um, do you want to get dinner somewhere? My treat, I've got some monies saved up."

"Are you asking me on a date?" Gaz was looking ahead, the Irken couldn't see her expression. But he was quite sure he knew the answer both of them wanted.

"Yes, yes I am."

"Good." She squeezed his hand and he squeezed back.

x

"I can't believe you, Zim, this is all your fault," Dib grumbled at the Irken from the other side of the couch, his arms crossed over his chest.

"If you weren't such a stupid human, you'd see it's YOUR fault, smelly filth. YOU were the one to sneak on ZIM'S ship, YOU distracted Zim which got us caught!"

"No, YOU got us caught with your terrible flying. And you should know to expect me by now, it's my duty to stop your evil schemes."

"Pfft," Zim stuck his long tongue out at the human, "You're just following me because you're obsessed with the amazingness that is ZIM!"

"Don't kid yourself space-boy," grumbled Dib.

"It is the Dib who kids," smirked the small Irken, closing the distance between them on the couch, placing his hands on the human's shoulders, leaning in close. "You are growing fond of your future slave-master, hmm?" His breath ghosted across the other's lips.

Zim felt a thrill of satisfaction as he felt Dib's quick intake of breath, and felt the human's heartbeat quicken, but that feeling was short-lived as the larger creature grabbed him by his shoulders and flipped him on his back.

It was Dib's turn to lean in close and brush his lips softly against the other's. "It's the opposite, Zim, you've grown attached to me, even though I'm going to pull out every one of your organs one day and spread them across a table to catalogue." He moved a hand to caress Zim's chest and slide down to his stomach, evoking a small whine from the alien.

"Stupid human," muttered the alien, but his mouth was crushed against the human's before he could say anything else. He gripped the other tightly, claws embedded in his trench coat, as Dib wrapped his strong arms around him and held him close.


End file.
